Chihuahua: Migrants seeking to evade arrest set fire to blankets and mattresses during a midnight raid by government forces at a makeshift camp in the northern Mexican city of Chihuahua early Saturday. The operation, carried out by Mexican authorities, aimed to clear the camp as part of heightened enforcement efforts near the U.S. border.
The raid comes just days before the inauguration of U.S. President-elect Donald Trump, who has criticized Mexico for inadequate efforts to curb migration to the U.S. and threatened severe tariffs if action isn’t taken.
Migrants trying to avoid arrest set fire to blankets and mattresses at a camp in the northern Mexican city of Chihuahua during a raid by government forces to clear the site https://t.co/9w3nM10VF8 pic.twitter.com/NbpMGkPtUm
— Reuters (@Reuters) January 19, 2025
Around 250 officials, including National Guard military police equipped with anti-riot gear, surrounded the encampment at approximately midnight, according to a Reuters witness. Migrants responded by setting fire to their mattresses and blankets in protest, while others attempted to flee the site with their belongings, carrying babies and small children.
The blaze, which caused panic and chaos, was extinguished within an hour, and no casualties or injuries were reported.
Authorities Tighten Enforcement
Mexico’s migration agency did not issue an immediate statement regarding the raid. However, a migration official, speaking on condition of anonymity, stated that the operation aimed to relocate the migrants to Mexico’s southern border, where they would be advised to return to their home countries.
While the exact number of detainees remains unclear, many of the approximately 150 migrants at the camp were Venezuelan families. These individuals had stopped in Chihuahua, roughly 220 miles (360 km) from Ciudad Juárez, a major border city across from El Paso, Texas, while en route to the United States.
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Fear and Protest Among Migrants
The sudden and forceful nature of the raid left many migrants stunned and fearful. Daniel Barrios, a Venezuelan migrant traveling with a woman carrying a baby and a young child with a sparkly blue backpack, expressed disbelief at the approach used by authorities.
“They surrounded the camp… they said they just wanted to talk, that they were going to do an inspection and all that,” Barrios said. “Tell me, is it logical to come with this whole police and military force, supposedly to do an inspection at a camp, when they could do it during the day?”
Barrios cut off his comments as officials approached, saying, “We have to move.”
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Chaos and Confusion
Other migrants described feelings of confusion and terror. A woman sobbed as she clung to her two children, while two men held toddlers in their arms amid the chaos.
“The police came, and migration officials. We got to this shelter today, and we don’t know what’s happening,” said one man. “We’re disoriented. We’re scared.”
As red smoke from the fire rose into the night sky, the scene reflected the increasing desperation of migrants caught in the ongoing enforcement crackdown.
